Three of the best chefs in Abu Dhabi share their recipes for the perfect three-course meal this Eid al-Fitr
Ahead of what is sure to be an extravagantly delicious Eid al Fitr, here is your cheat sheet to impress them all! From bold starters to traditional mains and indulgent desserts, discover three exquisite recipes curated by some of the top chefs in Abu Dhabi for a taste of luxury and tradition this festive season.
Li Beirut – Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Chef De Cuisine Achref Bousdira
Dish – Hummus Fatteh
Ingredients
- Chickpeas, dry 100g
- Yoghurt 100g
- Tahini 5g
- Lemon juice 90 ml
- Garlic cloves 2
- Cumin 1g
- Pepper To taste
- Salt To taste
- Arabic Bread 1 piece
- Pine nuts 10g
- Paprika 1g
- Ghee 100g
- Olive Oil 70ml
Method
- Soak the chickpeas overnight. Rinse well several times under cold running water, and then place them in a large pot.
- Cover the chickpeas with about twice their volume of fresh cold water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat. Simmer them for one hour until tender. Add the cumin and a small dash of olive oil. Keep the pot covered to make sure the liquid remains simmering hot and ready for use later.
- Put the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl, add the tahini, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Whisk well. Bring two inches of water to a rolling boil in a pot and place the bowl on top.
- Heat the yoghurt mix gently, whisking the whole time. Make sure it does not come to a boil; the idea is to just warm it up and blend the flavours. If the yoghurt mixture thickens too much, add a little of the chickpea broth until you get a soupy consistency. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
- Separate the Arabic bread into two thin layers then cut them into bite-sized pieces with kitchen scissors. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan and shallow-fry the pita until crunchy and golden.
- Spread the bread in an even layer on a deep serving platter or bowl. Ladle out about a cup or so of the reserved hot chickpea broth and drizzle on top of the bread pieces until they are just soaked.
- Set aside 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas to garnish. With a ladle, scoop the remaining hot chickpeas out of the broth and spread them evenly on top of the bread. Pour the warmed yoghurt mixture over the chickpeas. Gently stir the layers together with a large, slotted spoon. Top with the reserved chickpeas.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the pine nuts until golden, then pour them, along with the hot ghee, over the chickpea-yoghurt mixture. Sprinkle paprika and cumin. Serve immediately.
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Sahha – Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Executive Chef Andrea Fioravanti
Dish – Lahm Machboos
Ingredients
For lamb
- Lamb, cut and washed – 500g
- Bezaar spices – 2 heaped tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Garlic, crushed – 4 cloves
- Salt – To taste
For rice
- Olive oil – 1/4 cup
- Large onions – 2 sliced
- Medium tomatoes – 2 chopped
- Cardamom pods – 2 crushed
- Black peppercorns -1 tsp
- Cinnamon stick – 1
- Bay leaves – 2
- Cloves – 3-4
- Loomis (dried lime) – 2
- Basmati rice – 2 cups, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
- Stock cube – 1
- Coriander bunch – 1/2, chopped
- Saffron – A pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
- Ghee – 1 tbsp
- Chickpeas – 1 small can, drained
Method
- Toss the lamb with the ‘For Lamb’ ingredients and marinate for 10-15 minutes.
- In a pressure cooker, add the lamb and one cup of water. Pressure cook for three whistles, then switch off. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Drain the lamb and reserve the stock. Measure the stock and fill up with water to make three cups.
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and fry until browned, reserve half.
- Add the drained lamb to the saucepan and toss for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, whole spices, and loomi, and cook until the tomatoes are mashed.
- Pour in the stock mixture and bring to a boil. Add the stock cube and rice. Once it boils again, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and adjust the seasoning. Cook until the rice absorbs almost all the water.
- Sprinkle the remaining fried onions, chopped coriander, saffron water, ghee, and drained chickpeas on top. Cover the lid tightly with foil or a muslin cloth and steam for around 15-20 minutes.
- Switch off the heat and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Fluff up the rice well before serving it hot with the accompaniments of your choice.
Al Rimal – Erth Abu Dhabi
Executive Pastry Chef Mulyatana Sardiono
Dish – Liwa Dates with Batheeta Cream
Ingredients
For Batheeta
- Batheeta 100g
- Dates paste 2g
- Flour 2g
- Cardamom 2g
- Cumin 2g
- Saffron 2g
For dates cake
- Dates paste 2kg
- Granulated sugar 1kg
- Mayonnaise 1.6kg
- Flour No.1 1kg
- Baking powder 5g
- Baking soda 36g
- Milk 1kg
- Egg 1kg
For camel milk ganache
- Camel milk 1kg
- Melted manjari chocolate 800g
- Cardamom 5g
- Heat the milk and add melted chocolate and cardamom
For Batheetha Cremeux
- Dulce chocolate 200g
- Milk 200g
- Cream 250g
- Gelatine 10g
- Batheetha crumble 150g
- Yolk 125g
For caramel sauce
- Sugar 300g
- Butter 60g
- Cream 120g
- Water 120g
For topping
- Chocolate garnish
- Batheeta cremeux
Method
For the date cake
- Prepare a 20x20cm baking tin. Preheat the oven to 180C
- Mix and stir all dry ingredients except saffron
- Beat the soft dates paste, sugar and mayonnaise until combine
- Add eggs one at a time to date mixtures until combined
- Fold in the dry ingredients into the mixtures
- Pour the milk gradually and add saffron
- Pour the mixtures into the baking tin and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and set aside.
For the Batheetha cremeux
- Bring the milk and cream to a boil
- Pour half the yolks and the rest back into the cream and simmer
- Add gelatine and pour into the dulce chocolate and mix well
- Add batheeta crumble and blend well with barmix.
Assembly
- Cut rectangular size 2.5cmx12 cm
- Put in the middle of the plates
- Pipe batheeta cremeux on top of the cake
- Put chocolate garnish on top
- Decorate the plates with batheeta powder, caramel sauce and Chantilly cream
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